Steve's Blog April 2009

This is Walton-On-Thames. I was born here, although I’ve never visited since, and I’m only passing through today. I was also born on a Maundy Thursday, like my brother two years later and my aunt almost a generation before. Events, circumstance, one life to another.

It’s happening again. Of little significance to anyone else, except my parents and immediate family – like my birth, like most people’s birth, unless you’re in line for the throne, or born into an ‘A’ list family, whatever-the-hell that is.

But, a different kind of birth: getting set for nine performances of ‘An Acute Psychotic Episode (II)’ at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2009. Such a fantastic, beautiful city and, during the Fringe in August, how it comes even more alive with colourful, wild and wacky shows and powerful performances.

I reflect on the interview, a couple of weeks ago (following a request to the rethink Media Volunteers), for the Sky Community Channel, a programme on mental health in the community. At least that’s the pitch the Director, Mark Allard, had made to the programme makers. He’d given me a list of questions beforehand. I’d thought about them, and scripted my replies, on the long flight to Tobago.

Of course, when it came to it, on the day I couldn’t read from my script, I had to appear natural, to think on my feet, not perhaps my forte under pressure! Here are some extracts from my replies to some of the questions he asked me. How I really responded we’ll have to wait and see, it’ll be as much of a surprise to me as anyone else. Let me know what you think:

Can you tell me what kind of response you’ve had, both towards yourself and the book, since publishing Fast Train Approaching…?

From those who’ve read it I’ve had a very positive and encouraging response. In fact much better than I could have hoped for. People have found the writing both engaging and compelling, they have liked the different perspectives in the book from my own frank, open account, to the detached view of the medical community assessing me, and then looking after me.

How did your family and friends respond when you announced you were going to write the book?

I didn’t tell many people that I was going to write it in case this would in some way jinx the writing. But I come from a background of writers and artists (my Dad’s a poet and writer and my Mum’s an artist, my brother’s a writer, director, (my aunts, uncle and cousins are artists too) so, for me, writing was a natural thing to do to celebrate my experience.

Due to the nature and subject matter of the book, did you face any discrimination or obstacles while you were seeking publication for Fast Train Approaching…?

Initially, I did approach a couple of agents. I have to say they sounded interested, although to be honest I found the conversation quite difficult. How could I describe what the book’s about in a few words to get their attention? The experience of breakdown of a middle-aged man doesn’t sound terribly interesting and even sounds a bit weird especially when I say it’s about me. Like who cares?!

The reality is of course that there are so many people who, even if they’ve not experienced a mental health problem themselves, will know somebody who has. It is widely known that some 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem, and some 1 in a 100 experience schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Do you think Fast Train Approaching… has helped, or can help, towards challenging discrimination aimed at mental illness?

Talking and sharing life experiences is an important way of dispelling stigma, explaining what it is like, the warning signs, what can be done to help and how a condition can be managed.

I’m planning to go to take a performance of Fast Train Approaching… as ‘An Acute Psychotic Episode’ to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August. I work with a good friend of mine Steve Antoni who is a superb musician. I weave in poems and songs with the narrative, with some covers but also some of Steve’s own compositions.

What are your personal thoughts on stigma/discrimination towards mental illness in modern society?

What I would like to see is mental health issues discussed openly and freely over a coffee, over a pint, in every café and bar in the land, that way we might learn and come to a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.

And I mean conversations that get to the real issues, not gossip. Although gossip can be a powerful way of communicating news through communities, it is usually strongly biased, reinforces damaging stereotypes and does little to educate and inform. There’s a world of difference between understanding real experiences, having the correct information to hand, and gossip.

And how do you think we, both as members of modern society and people with mental illnesses, can help to remove or change the stigma towards mental illness?

We can help by providing examples, by sharing our experiences, by answering questions, by standing up and being counted. I don’t mean people should be obliged to come out about their condition, but they should have a supportive environment to help them should they wish to do so.

And finally, how do you see the World’s view on mental illness changing in the next decade?

I think I can only really give a UK view, although increasingly the world is becoming ‘westernised’ I suppose. But globally, between nations, there are too many different attitudes to mental health, cultural differences.

I’d like to think that the situation is improving, that the witch hunts are over, but public opinion is very unpredictable, and fickle. You only need one case of murder to be committed by someone diagnosed with a mental illness and attitudes can swing overnight, suddenly people think that all mental illness is a threat. This is the reporting by the media, which is often sensationalised and bears little resemblance to actual experience and real risk.

On a positive note, the current Time to Change campaign is helping to raise the profile of the issues, to raise awareness, to provide the knowledge, to influence attitudes and hopefully to help bring about a change in behaviour. Of course, such a campaign needs to be sustained, widely promoted and engaged in everyday life to be successful.

Watch this space, for more details of the interview, which may be aired during June on the Sky Community channel. Visit www.makingconnectionsmatter.org.